


Till There Was You

by YesGoodNick



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Biphobia, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family, Family Angst, Family Drama, Homophobia, I swear I started writing it at an appropriate time, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, New Years, Still dont know how to tag sorry, Thanksgiving, also for tense scenes ig, because I LOVE SYLVAIN A LOT, believe it or not I was not listening to the beatles while i wrote this, christmas carols are on TOO EARLY, crybaby felix, felix is like a turtle, hard shell but very soft inside, i just love them okay, i was listening to Marina, im assuming sylvains dad also sucks, like im sorry but thats just the truth, not related but i love her, rodrigue sucks you cant change my mind, sylvain seems unhappy bc of him and thats enough for me, teen for swearing, very late oops sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22027558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YesGoodNick/pseuds/YesGoodNick
Summary: Fake dating AU on the prompt that the partner is picked specifically to make parents mad.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Sylvix
Comments: 1
Kudos: 150





	1. Till There Was You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I’m here to say that I don’t like Rodrigue and I love and support Felix very much. Idk why I cant write anything but these boys recently but here they are again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix asks Sylvain to come to thanksgiving so rodrigue will stop asking about dating all the time, Sylvain agrees cause he likes Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Victor is a golden retriever and he is very shaggy and I love him (inspired by my cousins dog who died like 5 years ago but I still miss her lol)

This idea was insanely stupid, of all the people Felix could ask to do this why the hell had he chosen the boy he was in love with? 

Too late. "What's up, Felix? You look even more broody than usual,"

"I'm not 'broody'," Felix retorted. "I don’t think that's even a word. I came to ask- for a favour," he nearly choked on the words.

“Oooh a favour! Wait let me guess: you’ve fallen hopelessly in love!”

(Yes).

“And you need my help to woo the gorgeous person who has captured your affections!”

(Not quite).

“Actually, somehow it’s stranger than that,” Felix deadpanned.

“Well then I’m doubly intrigued,” Sylvain said, putting down his pencil.

“I have to go home for Thanksgiving and-”

“You want me to pose as your boyfriend so your dad will get off your back about dating!” Sylvain laughed at his own joke, “kidding, I’ll stop guessing now.”

“Actually-” Felix began shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“Wait, ‘actually’? That’s what you were gonna ask?”

“Well not just because he’s asking, I mean… My dad would  _ hate  _ it if I said I was bringing someone home and it was you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m-”

“I just mean because he wants me to get married and have kids and be mature and you’re…”

“Also a dude and very immature?”

“YES!”   
Sylvain didn’t want to say yes to Felix, he should be offended that he had called him immature, but he was looking at him with such a soft look in his eyes, and his lips were parted just so, and Sylvain was in love with him, so he said “Okay. I’ll do it.”

***

The drive from the Garreg Mach Academy to Felix’s family home was a relatively short one, only a few hours normally, but with everyone going home for Thanksgiving weekend the highway was busy and they were stuck in traffic for an extra hour. About halfway through the drive Sylvain turned down the radio, which was already playing Christmas carols, and drew his feet up so he was sitting cross legged in the passenger seat.

“So what’s our story?” He asked, casual as he could.

“What do you mean?” Felix asked, not looking away from the road and knowing exactly what Sylvain meant.

“I mean like, for your dad. How much have you told him?”

“I just told him I was bringing someone.” Felix said, eyes still stiff on the road.

“Okay well. How long have we been dating? What do you like about me? What was our first date? What’s our song?”

“Our song?”

“Yeah, every couple has a song that, y’know, means something to them, like it was their first dance or it was playing when they met or-”

“Till There Was You.”

“What?”

“The Beatles cover.”

“Oh-kay. How about all the other stuff?”

“Does it matter?”

“Well we need to know so we have the same story.”  
“Oh. 5 months. You come up with the date, I’ve never done that stuff.”

“Okay, I picked you up, and I gave you sunset orange chrysanthemums, ‘cause they remind me of your eyes. We went for a picnic and pet like seven dogs at the park.”

Felix checked his mirror so Sylvain wouldn’t see his deep blush, “sunset orange chrysanthemums?”

“I- I know a lot about flowers, girls like that stuff so I know a few of each colour just to-”

“I see.”

Felix knew he shouldn’t be mad, Sylvain was doing him a favour by coming to Thanksgiving with him, but that didn’t make it sting less when Sylvain said ‘girls’ and it didn’t make it any less disappointing that Sylvain didn’t really spend his time thinking about what flowers Felix’s eyes looked like. 

“What about the other one?” Sylvain asked, when the silence became too much.

“What other one?”

“What do you like about me?”

Felix thought for a moment, about the way Sylvain always threw his arm casually around Felix at breakfast in the morning, about the glint in his eye when he had an idea that was sure to get them both in trouble, he thought about Sylvain letting him crawl into bed with him when he had a nightmare and about the way he scrunched up his nose when Felix was obviously trying to make a joke but it wasn’t funny. He thought about how Sylvain was here, on a 3 hour car ride to a town he wasn’t from to spend Thanksgiving with Felix so he could piss off his dad, and every other tiny dumb thing Sylvain had done for him, every time saying ‘C’mon, you know I’d do anything for you, Fe’.

“Even if we  _ were _ dating I wouldn’t talk about that stuff to my dad,” Felix finally said, twisting the volume dial back up on the radio to end the conversation.

They were mostly silent for the rest of the car ride. Sylvain would sometimes yell “HORSE!” and Felix would occasionally ask what mile marker they had just passed, and the radio filled the air the rest of the time with jingle bells and weirdly sexual Christmas songs and fundraisers for sick children. After what seemed like days but was really only about an hour they finally saw the sign for Felix’s town. ‘F R A L D A R I U S’, it declared in a bold font, ‘F A M I L Y I S H E R E’. 

Five minutes later Felix was pulling into his father's driveway and his heart was pounding because he knew his father would be mad and that was what he wanted but he also wanted this to be real and he wanted it to be real so he could want it to go well and he wanted to turn around and go back to the academy and pretend he had never come. He turned the car off and undid his seatbelt, and before the door was open Victor was there barking and jumping, and that made it better for a moment but not really. It wasn’t really better because then Sylvain was out of the car and petting Felix’s dog and it settled on his shoulders the gravity of what he was doing when Felix didn’t even  _ know _ what he was doing.

He opened the door. He stepped out of the car. He closed the door.

Victor knew Felix right away and abandoned a thorough licking of Sylvains face to jump on him. Felix would have gladly stayed that way all weekend but the wind was beginning to bite and Sylvain was getting their bags, and when he looked up, he saw the door was open and his father was stepping onto the porch.

He could practically hear the pop of their little bubble.

***

“Felix,” Rodrigue began.

They were in the sitting room, the photo of Glenn looming on the mantle. Rodrigue paused for so long Felix thought he wasn’t going to continue speaking.

“When you said you were bringing someone, I did not think you meant Sylvain.”

Rodrigue was in his high backed leather armchair, and Felix sat across the coffee table from him on the couch.

He was next to Sylvain.

He was holding Sylvain’s hand.

He was silent.

“You made it sound-”

“Dad I swear to God if you say it sounded like I was bringing a girl-”

“You made it sound serious.”

Sylvain knew this was the point, but he had the good sense to look taken aback, and perhaps he wanted, for Felix’s sake, to be serious.

“Dad, I-”

“Perhaps now is not the time for this conversation.” his father cut him off, glancing at Sylvain.

“I’m just going to tell him whatever you say to me, if that’s your point.”

“Come now, Felix, that’s hardly-”

“Dad, Sylvain is my boyfriend,” the words felt strange coming out of his mouth, “and whatever you think about him isn’t going to change that. And besides, an impression of him from when we played together as kids is hardly something to judge him on now, we’re nearly adults.”

Sylvain squeezed Felix’s hand a bit tighter, friendly support, he tried to convince himself, but still Felix felt the blush creep up behind his ears when attention was drawn to their intertwined fingers.

“I suppose we can get to know each other over dinner, then,” Rodrigue spoke through gritted teeth, “your grandparents will be here soon, and all the rest of the family, I hope we can be more civil then.”

***

“Are you okay Felix?”

They were in Felix’s bedroom now, Sylvain spun around in the desk chair and Felix was face first on his bed, head under a pillow. This was harder than he had expected in every way.

“I didn’t bring you along so I could talk about my feelings.”  
“Ah, but you admit you have them,” Sylvain quipped, trying to lighten to mood, and, much to Felix’s dismay, succeeding slightly.

“Yeah I have a bunch of feelings about my dead brother and my judgy dad and my sexuality, screw off.”

Sylvain did not screw off, Felix could tell because there were footsteps and then a weight on the bed next to him, then across his back, Sylvain was lying on top of him.

“What the hell is your problem!?” Felix asked, wriggling under Sylvains weight to try and throw him off to no avail.

“My problem is that you’re sad.”

“I’m not sad,” Felix retorted, finally throwing Sylvain off of him, and though the tried tears on his face disagreed, Sylvain was kind enough not to point that out.

They were laying next to each other now, both on their backs, staring up at the ceiling.

Felix thought about how much he wanted to reach across the space between them and grab Sylvains hand.

Sylvain thought about how much he wanted to brush back Felix’s hair and kiss his forehead and his cheeks and his hands until he didn’t have anything left to cry about.

***

Throughout the rest of the day more and more of Felix’s family arrived at the house and the boys had to emerge from Felix’s room to mingle. His grandparents, someone called an uncle who was most definitely not related to them, cousins, an aunt, another grandmother. The house felt full to bursting and everyone wanted to talk to Felix about his new boyfriend. Felix wanted to crawl into a hole, but Sylvain was relishing all the attention, he was in his element.

Across the room Rodrigue stood and watched Sylvain schmoozing his family and running hands down his sons back, over his shoulders, into his hair. Felix saw him watching and the discontent present on his father's face was almost enough to make all this family time worth it. Almost.

Dinner came and they all squished around the dining table, extra chairs added to accommodate all 11 of them. Felix had the bad luck of being crushed between Sylvain on his right and his father on his left, and conversation was light, until it wasn’t.

“Felix, when you were just a small boy,” his grandmother began, as she often did, “I remember coming for Thanksgiving dinner, you clung to your mothers sleeve the whole time and would only sit in her lap,” Felix tensed at the mention of his mother, she was not something he and his father ever spoke about. “I can’t quite place when it was, Glenn was still young too, maybe ten or so.”

Now Felix felt Sylvain tense, all too aware of what the mention of Glenn could cause between Felix and Rodrigue.

“He was older,” Rodrigue chimed in in the tone he always used when talking about Glenn, “I remember chastising Felix, he was far too old to be so attached, it must have been two years before-”

It took all of Felix’s self control to not bend his fork in half. “You don’t have to put everything in terms of when he died.”

“Now, Felix, you know that isn’t what I meant.”

“It’s what you said.”

“I just meant-”

“I don’t care what you meant,” Felix said, rising from his seat, “You said it, don’t act like you didn’t.”

“Felix sit down.”

“Is that what you mean or is it just what you said?” Felix shot back, pulling his chair out of the tangle of legs to leave the table and storm away.

He walked into the hall between the kitchen and dining room and meant to continue to his room but his legs were weak and he found himself leaning against the wall and sinking to the floor. He heard the silence that he had left in his wake, and then he could hear his father.

“He’s been like this ever since Glenn passed, I understand, of course, but-” Something Felix couldn’t see or hear stopped Rodrigue in his tracks, and he heard a murmur turn into Sylvain’s voice.

“I should check on him, please excuse me.”

The door swung open and Sylvain nearly tripped over Felix’s knees in his hurry to reach Felix’s room, where he had assumed the other boy would be. Instead of falling, Sylvain steadied himself, frustratingly graceful, and Felix couldn’t hold the tears back any longer.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t cry,” Sylvain sat down on his knees next to Felix.

“I’m not crying.”

This time Sylvain could not ignore it. “Yes you are,” He leaned forward and wiped the tears off of Felix’s cheeks, one side, then the other, “There.”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

“That’s fine. I’m here if you change your mind, though.” 

Sylvain stood up and offered a hand to Felix, Felix took it and allowed himself to be pulled up, close to Sylvains chest. It was not as if they had never touched before, in fact it seemed all they had been doing today was touching, hands or shoulders, but this felt more charged, this was not a performance. It was just Sylvain and Felix and they knew they didn’t need to lie to each other.

They held hands a moment too long.

And still they didn’t need to lie to each other, but they did. Silently, each boy lied that this meant nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Broody is a word btw and Felix is absolutely it.


	2. Music and Wonderful Roses They Tell Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvain, now owed by Felix, has him come to a family reunion because his dad is on about finding a wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen if ur trying to tell me that Felix isn’t a soft dumbass when it comes to love then you’re gonna just wanna head out now cause I Will Not Listen.

“There you are, Felix! I’ve been looking for you.”

Felix knew Sylvain had been looking for him, that’s why he had been hiding.

“Wait- what are you doing in the lab closet anyways?”

Shit. Felix mumbled an excuse about some extra assignment from the professor and tried to slip past Sylvain, whose broad frame was blocking the doorway. 

Ever since Thanksgiving Felix had been doing his utmost to avoid spending time with Sylvain, especially one-on-one time, something had shifted between them since then - Felix felt his heart soften a bit whenever Sylvain was around. Not that it hadn’t before, of course. Felix had been in love with his best friend since before he really knew what that meant, but now the memory of him kneeling in the hallway was ever present, the knowledge- no, the proof, that under all the jokes and flirting, Sylvain was someone who cared about his friends, and he would always show up when he was needed. That was what Felix had always loved, but it also hung over him that Felix was one of many friends Sylvain would do anything for, Ingrid, Flayn, Mercedes, Dimitri. Sylvain had a way of making everyone feel special, and Felix always felt stupid for falling into such a simple trap.

“Why were you looking for me?” Felix asked, having been unable to slip past his friend.

“Oh- uh,” Sylvain suddenly turned bright red, “Well remember Thanksgiving?”

Now Felix felt himself turning red too. This is what he had been afraid of.

This is what he had prayed for.

“Yeah.”

“Well I figured I did that for you maybe you could do me a favour too?”

Oh, that was all.

“Depends on how many detentions it’ll get me,” Felix quipped in his usual dry tone.

“None, promise. I just. Well I got my dad’s permission to stay here over winter break but I have to go home for one weekend, we have a family reunion for New Years Eve and I hate going, everyone is on me to have a girlfriend and get married right out of high school, it’s always ‘no girl to bring home, Sylvain?’ and I’m sick of it so-”

“Is there not a girl you could ask?”

“That’s not the point. You brought me to make your dad mad, I want to do the same. I don’t exist just to carry on the family business and family line, y’know?”

“Oh.”

“So will you do it?”

Felix wanted to say no, he wanted to roll his eyes and tell Sylvain this was his worst idea yet, but actually it had been his idea, so how could he fault him? And how could he say no when Sylvain was looking down at him with his big brown puppy dog eyes and hopeful smile? He couldn’t, his chest felt warm and tight, his heart was mush.

“Fine.”

***

Sylvain had grown up a few towns over from Felix, close enough that they had gone into the same city for elementary and middle school. As boys they had often slept over at each others homes for days at a time, Felix had always been elated to go to Sylvains house, especially after Glenn had died, since it meant being away from his father. Returning to the large house alone on the block, however, all Felix felt was regret. Regret that he had agreed to this, and regret that he had thought up his own stupid plan in the first place. His stomach turned as Sylvain pulled into the long driveway, already filled with expensive cars of family members.

“Same story as last time, alright?”

“Alright.” 

“Then let’s go.” Sylvain pasted his phoniest smile onto his face and opened his car door.

Felix reached for his handle, but Sylvain stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, “Let me.”

So Felix let him. He wanted this to be real, a private moment, but he was well aware of the women standing by the large front window, watching Sylvain move. From their view on the second floor it was likely all the women saw was their heads, with Felix’s hair so long they wouldn’t know until they walked in that he was a man.

They walked into the house without knocking, the door was unlocked. Felix remembered the layout well enough, and didn’t need to be led to the staircase in the kitchen that led to Sylvains family. Up the stairs they went, voices growing louder with each step, until they reached the top, and were greeted by the unmistakable Marvin Gautier. Looking at this man made it astonishingly clear that Sylvain took after his mother - Sylvain was tall and slim, where his father was short (shorter even than Felix) and round. Sylvain’s eyes shone while his fathers were dull, almost matte. Sylvain was stunning, and Marvin Gautier was rather unimpressive. That being said, he had always been kind to Felix, and what he may have been lacking in appearance he made up for in his charismatic voice and gesturing.

“Felix! Sylvain didn’t tell us you were coming! I’ll have another place set out for you in the dining room!”

“Actually dad-” Sylvain started, glancing up to avoid looking at his father.

“And Sylvain look how you’ve grown again! Your girlfriend is a lucky lady,” He chuckled, “Speaking of-”

“I don’t have a girlfriend dad!” Sylvain cut him off.

“You said-”

“I said I would bring a significant other. That’s Felix.” Sylvain glanced down to find Felix’s hand and intertwined their fingers, then turned his eyes finally onto his father, the shine in them turning defiant. Sylvain was daring his father to an argument, but where Felix and his father would fight anywhere, Marvin and Sylvain Gautier kept their arguments behind closed doors, so Marvin pasted on the exact same smile Sylvain had put on earlier, the family schmoozing smile, and moved past it.

“Oh, lovely, you two always were so close,” His voice was polite but his eyes bore into his sons to say what he really meant, which was ‘we will talk about this after dinner, in private.’

His father walked away to greet a guest who had come in behind them, and Sylvain smiled wide, “That went well.”

“Did it?”

“Yeah, he was pissed! He’s totally gonna yell at me later.”

Felix rolled his eyes, but took the arm Sylvain was offering to him and allowed himself to be guided from aunt to cousin to grandfather to another aunt and on and on for what seemed like hours.

Sylvain relished the feeling of Felix’s hand on his arm, in the excuse to kiss him on the cheek or the top of his head, and in the glances his father cast their way, clearly unhappy at the whole family being privy to this affair.

Though he knew it was only an act, Felix let himself slip into the fantasy for a moment, pretending that Sylvains soft lips on his cheek meant anything.

***

At dinner the tension really began to mount, Marvin Gautier at the head of the table, Miklan to his left, Sylvain to his right, and to Sylvain’s right, Felix. Idle chatter and a little bit too much champagne was not enough to move Mr. Gautier’s glaring eyes away from Sylvain and Felix’s still intertwined hands atop the dining table, or the whispered words, Sylvains lips pressed against Felix’s ear. It was certainly not enough when Sylvains younger cousins began pestering him to talk about his _new boyfriend_.

Through three courses Sylvain grew bolder, and his father grew redder, and Felix was surprised neither of them blew up but he was happy for all the cuddling Sylvain was doing, even if it was only to make his father angrier.

Once the dessert dishes had been cleared away and the family was back to milling about, Sylvain’s father caught his eye, and Sylvain knew what the look meant, ‘meet me in my study,’ the amount of silent communication in this family was astounding to Felix.

“It’s happening. Come with me?” Sylvain asked, gently taking both of Felix’s hands in his own.

“Yeah, of course.”

Felix had never been in Marvin Gautier’s ‘study’ before, as kids they had been relegated to the basement to play. He now saw it was really just a home office, no different than his own fathers, but he hardly had a moment to consider this new realization because the moment he and Sylvain were through the door it was slammed shut behind them and Mr. Gautier turned to face them.

“Sylvain Jose Gautier, what on God’s green Earth were you thinking?”

“When?”

This was a routine Felix was familiar with, Sylvain getting in trouble as a child had always had the same, though the stakes felt higher here.

“You know what I mean, Sylvain, stop acting like a child!”

“Fine. I was thinking I’d bring my boyfriend, because every year you beg me ‘Sylvain, when will you bring a partner home!?’ so I DID!”

“Do not raise your voice at me. You know perfectly well that-”

“I need to marry well and continue the family line and business,” Sylvain cut him off with and uncanny impression.

“Sylvain where is this coming from? You’ve always-”

“Dad, just listen. I’m bi, and I know you don’t care about me unless I marry some girl and have a bunch of kids so I can take your job and then they can take mine and on and on, but that also might not happen.”

“It could happen!”

“Fine, it could. But right now, I’m dating Felix, I love him,” Felix flinched as Sylvains grip on his hand tightened when he said this, “And that’s what’s important to me, not some perfect future with a pretty bow, I’m interested in what makes me happy, and that’s being with Felix.”

Mr. Gautier looked from his son to Felix, and back to his son, he wasn’t speechless, Felix saw him simply picking his next words very, very carefully, ever continuing to keep his cool demeanour.

“What makes you… happy. I see.”

“That isn’t an answer, dad.”

“You never asked a question.”

“Okay, fine. Are you going to be okay with this, or are you going to. Well, I don’t know, do something else.”

“I suppose you haven’t given me much choice in the matter, seeing as how you’ve already introduced him around.”

“So the choice isn’t even to accept me, it’s whether to save face in front of the family. That’s great dad, thanks.”

“My approval certainly has not mattered to you in the past. Follow your youthful whims and leave the rest of the world to catch up to you, as you always do, I will not be held responsible.”

The air in his voice was final, and both Felix and Sylvain knew it. Stiffly, Sylvain turned and opened the door, he held it open for Felix, and followed him out, closing the door softly behind them. Here on the first floor the party upstairs seemed a million miles away, the voices dull and indistinct, Sylvain felt drunk and dizzy despite only having snuck a sip of champagne. He saw Felix’s face swimming in front of him, saw his drawn together eyebrows, and found his body again.

“Let’s get out of here, Felix.”

They walked through the house, but all either was aware of was where their arms were brushing against one another as they walked. Outside Felix went to open the passenger door for Sylvain, but Sylvain stopped him with a hand over his own. Felix turned around so his back was to the car, Sylvain stood facing him, practically looming with the half a foot he had on Felix. For a moment neither boy spoke, then both spoke at the same time:

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this-”

“I’m sorry your dad said that shit-”

For another moment there was silence, Felix, staring into his friends eyes for longer than he had ever allowed himself, thought how foolish he had been to do all this, the pain of not being with Sylvain had only been worse since this whole thing began. Sylvain did not think at all, and for once, Felix was thankful for the rashness, because before either of them knew what was going on, Sylvain had grabbed hold of either side of Felix’s face and kissed him hard on the lips. For once, Felix didn’t think either, but let himself be pressed against the car door and let himself be kissed by Sylvain.

When they finally broke apart Sylvains face was flushed red, the colour clashed against his hair, but just like every other annoying thing Sylvain did, Felix found it just a little bit endearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not that it matters but they did kiss at midnight just. Cause. Felix like ‘when u kissed me it was like my brain started cheering’ and sylvain out here like ‘babe that was my family cause it was midnight on nye’. Also sorry im the WORST at writing endings bye ty for reading.


End file.
